The present invention relates to methods, devices, and applications pertaining to point of care diagnostics and, more specifically, to methods and apparatuses for solar-thermal microfluidic polymerase chain reaction (“PCR”) for point-of-care diagnostics.
Over the past few years, point-of-care diagnostics and analysis has become increasingly necessary. Utilizing this technology, samples are obtained and analyzed at the patient's bedside, including in hospitals, outpatient care centers, homes, and even in the field locations where other options do not exist.
Although point-of-care diagnostics and analysis pose a number of challenges, some work has recently been performed to address some of these challenges. For example, point-of-care devices have been developed using mechanical, electrical, and optical techniques to analyze samples quickly utilizing only minute quantities. Yet for all of the successes of these devices, a number of limitations still exist including the need to pre-process samples, the ability to work in a range of buffers (including those used to lyse cells), high sensitivity limits, and often a limited ability to detect multiple targets.
One type of point-of-care device is a PCR machine. PCR is a well-known and frequently-used technology that amplifies copies of DNA across several orders of magnitude. This is especially useful for accurately diagnosing diseases in which the concentration of target DNA in a sample is extremely low. Many works have demonstrated the integration of PCR into microfluidic devices with the goal of applying it to point-of-care diagnostics. Unfortunately, one of the fundamental limitations across all technologies is the amount of energy required to perform the high-temperature thermal cycling (from 65° C. to 95° C.), which significantly restricts the number of runs available per battery. Further, most PCR devices require electrical heaters, actuators, controllers, and other components, all of which significantly increase the energy needs and overall costs of the device.
Accordingly, there is a continued demand for a point-of-care PCR technology that addresses the many limitations that exist in current devices and methods.